Should you marinate meat for stir-fry?

It brings out meat's natural flavors and also tenderizes it by breaking down myosin, a tough protein found in meat, just like in a good brine . Tenderized proteins also contract less during cooking, which means better moisture retention.

Which are the 3 basic components in marinating meat?

A typical marinade is made up of three essential components: an acid (such as vinegar, wine, or citrus), an oil (such as olive oil or sesame oil), and a flavouring agent (such as herbs and spices) . These elements work together to transform the taste and texture of your dish in different ways.

How to marinate meat for frying?

Tenderize: In a bowl, sprinkle a small amount of baking soda over the beef and coat evenly with soy sauce, salt, starch, and oil (and optional ingredients, if using). Marinate: After sitting in the mixture for 15 to 30 minutes in the fridge, your beef is ready for stir-frying!

How do Chinese restaurants get their meat so tender?

There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline . This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts. “People go for either egg white or baking soda as they are both alkaline ingredients.

What is the basic marinade formula?

Because of the acidic nature of marinades, always marinate in a glass, ceramic or stainless-steel container. (Do not use aluminum containers.) The marinade ratio we suggest is three parts fat, one part acid and one part seasonings .

What liquid is best for marinade?

Marinades generally consist of cooking oil, an acidic liquid, such as vinegar, wine, tomato, or citrus juice (or a natural enzyme, such as ginger or pineapple), and flavorings, including garlic, molasses, honey, fresh or dried herbs, and spices.

What makes a great marinade?

A great marinade is carefully balanced and made of three basic components – acid, fat and seasoning .

Is soy sauce a good marinade?

This marinade of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey and lime is ideal for steak , but it works beautifully with any tender meats like burgers, boneless chicken, tuna and swordfish, all of which can be turned in the sauce before putting them on the grill.

How do you make stir fry beef so it's tender?

If you're looking for a walkthrough on how to make beef tender for stir-fries, then you're in the right place! Luckily, it's quite easy to do and it's a 2 step process: Slice the beef against the grain, and make sure you always use cornstarch, water (to hydrate the meat), and oil in your beef marinade (velveting).

Should you marinate beef before stir-fry?

Get the most of your stir-fry by marinating your beef cut : Turn or stir the beef occasionally to allow even exposure to the marinade. Before cooking, remove beef from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel to promote even browning and prevent steaming.

How do you make stir-fry beef so it's tender?

If you're looking for a walkthrough on how to make beef tender for stir-fries, then you're in the right place! Luckily, it's quite easy to do and it's a 2 step process: Slice the beef against the grain, and make sure you always use cornstarch, water (to hydrate the meat), and oil in your beef marinade (velveting).

Basic Marinade for Stir-Fried Meats Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

Salt and soy sauce tenderize meat, help it retain moisture, and increase its savoriness.
Sugar helps browning characteristics.
Oil helps distribute fat-soluble aromatic compounds over the meat.
Cornstarch insulates the meat form the high heat of a hot wok, ensuring that it doesn't overcook along its edges.
Aromatics like pepper and wine add a nice basic flavor to meat that pairs well with other ingredients.

Anyone who's read our Wok Skills 101 Guide knows that with a stir-fry, having all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go is of the utmost importance. Meat should be sliced, vegetables chopped, sauces mixed, and aromatics minced, all before you turn up that heat.

But there's another secret that will improve both the flavor and the texture of your proteins: proper marinating. When done right, a marinade is more than just a flavoring agent. It can help tenderize meat and alter its proteins so that it retains more moisture. It can improve the browning characteristics that is the goal of high-heat cooking. It can also help it absorb other flavors more easily.

Whether it's chicken, pork, or beef, the basics of marinating are the same. Here's what we do.

The Ingredients

Basic Marinade for Stir-Fried Meats Recipe (1)

While you can add as many aromatics to a marinade as you'd like, there are a few ingredients that serve as far more than just aromas—they actually physically alter the way meat cooks, aiding in flavoring, tenderizing, and browning.

When I construct a marinade, I like to add my dry ingredients first (salt, sugar, pepper), followed by my wet ingredients (Shaoxing wine, soy sauce), then the oil, and finally some cornstarch.

How do each of these ingredients function?

Salt: Both a flavor and a texture enhancer, salt is essential in all marinades. It brings out meat's natural flavors and also tenderizes it by breaking down myosin, a tough protein found in meat, just like in a good brine. Tenderized proteins also contract less during cooking, which means better moisture retention.
Sugar: A flavor enhancer like salt, it also aids in both caramelization and the Maillard browning process. Sugar speeds up browning and creates more depth of flavor. It also provides a balance to the saltiness of salt and soy sauce.
Soy Sauce: Essential in stir-fry dishes, a dash of it makes a big difference. Just like salt, soy sauce is a flavor enhancer and builder. It is rich in glutamates, which makes meat taste more savory and improves juiciness.
Oil: It helps distribute cornstarch, seasonings, and fat-soluble flavors evenly when mixing the marinade with the meat. You want to use an oil that has a high smoke point, which should be the same oil you will be using when you are stir-frying. Peanut oil is a popular and traditional choice, but you can also use corn oil, refined light olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.

Cornstarch: When added to marinades, cornstarch provides a light coating to meat that protects it slightly from the intense heat of the wok. This helps prevent overcooking and toughening of the outer layers of meat. The starch also acts as a binder and helps liquid ingredients, like soy sauce and shaoxing wine, come together and bind to the meat. The results are more flavorful, tender, and evenly cooked pieces of meat.

Along with those functional ingredients, I usually include the following aromatics:

Pepper (white or black): Spicy and pungent, a little goes a long way. Since black pepper tends to be more aromatic, I usually add white pepper in stir-fry dishes when I'm going for a more subtle flavor profile. But black pepper is great when I want something bold and robust.
Shaoxing Wine: Slightly nutty tasting, this flavor builder adds an unmistakable aroma to any stir-fry dish. Dry sherry can be substituted for Shaoxing wine, but do try to find it if you can. Any well-stocked Chinese or Southeast Asian market will carry it.

The Dos and Don'ts of Marinating

Basic Marinade for Stir-Fried Meats Recipe (2)

Before you begin to marinate, keep these tips in mind.

DO make sure your meat is dry before slicing and marinating. If you wash your meat before cooking, make sure to blot it with paper towels until dry. Water is not a flavor enhancer and will only serve to dilute flavor and make browning more difficult.

DO marinate your meat in a bowl that's big enough for mixing. You don't want a bowl that just perfectly holds your sliced protein. You'll be mixing ingredients around, so make sure you have room for the meat to move.

DON'T add minced aromatics to your marinade, like garlic, ginger, or scallions. Stir-frying is high heat cooking, and those minced aromatics rapidly burn. Instead, add them toward the end of the stir-fry. Alternatively, you can slice them into big pieces and fry them in oil for about 30 seconds. Once you remove the aromatics, you can use cook with that infused oil.

Basic Marinade for Stir-Fried Meats Recipe (3)

DON'T drown your protein in your marinade. Remember, you're marinating for a stir-fry. Too much liquid as you stir-fry your protein results in steaming, and nobody likes steamed meat, right?

DO make sure to give your protein enough time to marinate. For this marinade, it only takes 30 minutes. Each ingredient in the marinade needs to have enough time to do what it has to do. This window gives you plenty of time to get your other ingredients ready.

Of course, the idea is that once you have a good basic marinade, it becomes a building block for constructing stir fries on your own, but check out the additional recipes at the bottom of the page if you want some more ideas.

April 2014

Recipe Details